An Interview With A Man Named Dan [He Dizzles]

I was lucky enough to gain an audience with Daniel Macias, who you may know from such podcasts as Obviously Oblivious and the BAESTCast [also an employee of Pixar Studios], to discuss his trilogy, which he has never openly discussed until this moment. I must say that it was a great experience and I believe most people will quickly find themselves intrigued by what they read in this interview. Now sit back, relax, and teach yourself a little something about a trilogy that aspires for greatness. For clarification purposes, my questions are in bold and Dan’s responses are not [obviously].

First, who are the main characters of your trilogy and what is the general story of said trilogy?

DM: The story revolves around Xavior, and a character later introduced in a very bad ass way, his antithesis, if you will [Gabriel].

At the core, it is a case study about love in its many forms (want, need, loss, unrequited, etc) and its effect on people. One of the tag lines for the film is "What would you do for love?” which leads to the ad campaign for the film. It will center over ambiguous questions that we can all relate to.

My goal is to engage the audience in a way that is unique to every person. One question can mean something to someone while entirely something different to another person. I want to tap in to the idea of how complex life really is. These two characters are driven by some interesting motives; it would be a nightmare if the majority of the people side with one "side."

When thinking of trilogies, most can be broken up in the introduction - the moment that two people meet - followed by the dark, middle act - where the characters depart in either a physical or emotional way - and then a final act where everything concludes into either a happy or sad ending. Is this the structure that your trilogy follows?

DM: No, I made it a point to jump right in the middle of things. I think a pitfall of many films lies in extended exposition. This trilogy is very well paced but things will be explained, hopefully, in a very meticulous and clear manner. I have been working on this story for roughly 12 years.

Also, it leaves me the creative freedom to expand on the canon of the story; be it the past, simultaneous events, and future.

12 years is a long time to spend on one story. Does this story contain a lot of yourself in it? Are there moments in the story that you've personally experienced?

DM: Yes, the opening scene is something I experienced and it is quite intense and central to the film. The best writing comes from personal experience; you can not fake such experiences. I think the audience can tell when someone went through something and is writing from that respect rather than trying to emulate it.

Does the trilogy take place over a long period of time, or is this specific story focused on a very confined time frame?

DM: The story arc itself takes place during a matter of days, I think 7 if I'm not mistaken. The overall narrative has been taking place for thousands of years...

So is this a story in a universe with other characters you've created that may show up in future stories, or is Xavior and the other, unnamed character the only characters that will ever be the focus in this story's world?

DM: Xavior and Gabriel are the main focus of the story arc in this trilogy, but they are only two players in this orchestra. I will say this story arc encompasses 7 of the most important days of the whole timeline. Most of my time has been dedicated creating the environment for this story to take place. The setting has been by far the most challenging part of this process.

Speaking of the setting, does this story take place in a real world location or is it world that you've created from scratch?

DM: Both. I did not want to create a whole world because I think it adds a whole new flavor to the film if it has a sense of plausibility. Take Jurassic Park as an example; it is so fascinating to me because it is grounded in some scientific plausibility. I did not want a galaxy far, far away, but I also did not want something as limiting as "reality." A group of characters in this film comes from some Mexican mythology from the town I was born in. Some people swear to this day certain events happened, but who knows? It's shrouded in mystery and open to interpretation, just how I like it.

Earlier you mentioned that Xavior and Gabriel were "only two players in this orchestra." This reminds me of films like Crash that have many characters in the big picture that all somehow interact with one another and bring about events that they never even knew about, until coming full circle. Is that what is planned with story and world you've created?

DM: Yes, it is a tool I used but not to the extent that films like Traffic, Crash, Babel, etc utilized. Certain characters are not aware of certain key events and truths. I worked carefully to create a balance in which the audience and characters learn things simultaneously for the most part, but there are definitely truths that are being concealed by certain characters. I do not want to comment too much on this aspect because I do not want to spoil anything but a key theme is sins of the past. At one point Gabriel describes himself as a "Monument of all your sins." What does that mean? You will find out. There will be no lose strings.

I must say that the story reminds me of the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. The first film showed two people meeting in a realistic manner and just showed them talking and interacting over the course of one day. At the end of the first film they agree to meet in 6 months. The second film takes place 9 years later with the same two characters. They never met up and their lives ended up moving on without them despite their constant desire for each other. It deals with love, want, and those aspects you mentioned previously. These films worked wonderfully at engrossing the audience due to their realistic take and the fact that they only encompass small bits of their actual lives.

It sounds like your story has a lot in common with these two films and I'm just curious if that is the kind of story you're shooting for?

DM: The theme of love is for motivation alone. The core of the film is without a doubt love and its effects but it is dipped in so many rich layers and themes and is set in a very imaginative, almost sci-fi setting. I want this film to mirror life in a way, or at least, the way I see it. They say math is the universal language, but I think love is the universal passion. It is something we can all connect with in one way or another. To me, everything we do is in some way connected to finding our "other;" The person that completes us. I'd like to think when our life flashes before us we see faces of the people who have molded us for better or worse, through the good and bad, not material things. This is my opus, the film I've always wanted to not only see but hand craft, an insight to "me."

This story seems to mix grounded, real world events with mystical aspects that begs the question of what kind of film would best portray your story; an animated film or a live action film?

DM: This will be a live action film with CGI a la Transformers. Most, if not all of the mystical aspects of the film will in some way be grounded within reality. As far as story and cinematography, I can't think of another film it is similar to which is a good thing in my point of view. As ridiculous as this may sound, I want it to be the Star Wars of my generation in the sense that it is something audiences have not seen before. A lot of films nowadays do one or two things great. My goal is for every aspect of the film (both aesthetic and story/dialogue) to be top notch. This is not to say that I aim to please everyone but at the end of the day I want to know that I tried MY best in every category and left no stone unturned when it comes to the quality of the film. I am putting my all into this.

I must say that the story and idea behind your trilogy is intriguing and I can't wait to hear more in the future, but I feel that we've gone over enough details at this time [don't want to spoil too much too soon]. This all sounds very ambitious and of what I know of you, I don't doubt that you will be able to accomplish your goals. My final question would be this: Does your trilogy currently have a title? [If there are things you'd like to answer to questions I haven't asked, feel free to let it rip.]

DM: Yes, the titles in order are: Genesis, Voodoo Child, and Valhalla.

The only thing I would like to add is that these characters are involved in something special, beyond what we "know" of this world. I don't want to give the impression that this will take place in a town with a Starbucks in which people cry and talk about their feelings. There will be blood and plenty of action. Think about it as a bit like Lord of the Rings if Tarantino had his way with it.

One final, final question would be, is there a specific timeframe in which you want to see these on the big screen or is it more of a "it will be done when it's done" timeframe? ...not compromising at all to meet a deadline.

DM: It would really depend on the studio. I feel that realistically I will have to prove myself with other shorter projects before such an ambitious project as this is green-lit. Ideally, it'd be awesome if someone falls in love with it and helps get it done ASAP. It only takes one person to fall in love with your work, so in away, to bring it full circle; this script is looking for its "other" too.

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For those interested, below is a link for Garbiel's theme and movie posters shall be coming soon.

• Gabriel's Theme